The Future of Borders

These divisions are shifting in ways that would surprise people from even 50 years ago. Three trends are reshaping what boundaries mean:

• The Schengen Area — most of the European Union dropped internal border controls, letting hundreds of millions of people move freely across once heavily guarded lines
• Climate migration — rising seas and spreading deserts are pushing nations to redraw borders or accept refugees on a large scale
• Digital borders — internet firewalls and data laws create invisible boundaries that control information as tightly as any wall